CHARLOTTE, NC– Mecklenburg County’s extraordinary growth over the past decade has lead to a huge spillover into Union County. Overcrowded schools and budget cuts have been a big issue in the Queen City, and now Union County is feeling similar growing pains.
Last month, the Union County school board announced a redistricting plan to help ease overcrowding and manage growth within the county’s 53 schools. A plan that has lead to a county-wide public outcry from parents like Portage Ridge High School parent Melissa Merrell. Merrell and her family moved to Stallings from Myers Park in 2005. If the redistricting goes through, their 5-minute commute to school will turn into a half hour. It’s a growing pain that’ll impact thousands of families.
“We didn’t move here to have our children sent to another town. We want to stay at Porter Ridge,” says Merrell, “…It is very upsetting to think that we’ve invested all of these years into our neighborhood school, and we’re going to be pushed out so that they can make room for a new homeowner.”
And the influx of new homeowners is on the horizon. From 2000 to 2012, Union County saw a nearly 70 percent increase in population. A jump of approximately 123,000 residents to 208,000 residents. And the growth in the area is not slowing down. John Chesser, a Professor at UNC Charlotte’s Urban Institute says Union County is a hot spot for families who want to live near, but not in, Charlotte. He says while some movement is coming from people crossing county lines, a large percentage is coming from other areas of the country–a major balancing act for school systems, which often leads to redistricting.
